| Abstract: |
On the basis of the technical definition of selection developed by George
Price (1995), we describe two forms of selection that commonly occur at the
social level, subset selection and generative selection. Both forms of
selection are abstract and general, and therefore also incomplete; both leave
aside the question of explaining the selection criterion and why entities
possess stable traits. However, an important difference between the two kinds
of selection is that generative selection can accommodate an explanation of
how new variation is created, while subset selection cannot. An evolutionary
process involving repeated cycles of generative selection can, in principle,
continue indefinitely because imperfect replication generates new variation
along the way, whereas subset selection reduces variation and eventually
grinds to a halt. Even if the two kinds of selection examined here are very
different, they share a number of features. First, neither subset selection
nor generative selection implies improvement. Neither kind of selection
necessarily lead to efficiency or imply systematic outcomes. Second, both
subset selection and generative selection can lead to extremely rapid effects
in a social population. Third, in the social domain, both generative selection
and subset selection involve choice and preference. Neither form of selection
necessarily excludes intentionality. In concluding the article, we single out
a challenge for future research in identifying the role of various units of
culture in selection processes and the multiple levels at which social
selection processes take place. |